28 August 2010 12:05 PM

Okay, so the Walrus didn't actually say that, but you get the point. The new season is nearly upon us and at the Twickenham launch this week, the coach and captain from every club gathered to offer their thoughts on everything and anything they were asked — and even on some subjects they weren't asked about.

Here are your soundbites for the new season ...

Toby Booth, London Irish

On last season

'Last season I was more worried about getting a team out than driving the team on and I take responsibility for that.’

On injuries

‘If we can keep our best players fit we can compete with anyone. A five per cent shift in emphasis changes everything and we’ve recruited carefully.’

On the salary cap

‘I agree with the salary cap whole-heartedly but step out of that (into the Heineken Cup) and competing is a problem.’

Brendan Venter, Saracens

On final heartbreak

‘Rugby is a cruel game. Respect is gained over a long period but lost in an instant.’

On the new season

‘Last year it was about creating a culture at the club, this year it is teaching the new boys the culture already at the club.’

On Saracens’ new-found flair

‘The law change has galvanised the game. I don’t think rugby has never been so well-positioned to become a spectacle.’

Rob Baxter, Exeter

On promotion

'It's not a fairytale. We didn't wake up in the Premiership. We've waited a long time for this and we're hoping to do a job this year. It's like a cricket bat, you've got to knock yourselves in.'

On the future

'This is just year one and we're hoping to establish ourselves as Premiership material. The underdog tag is a motivation.'

On visiting Deven

'I think the Tomahawk chants and drums might be surprising for some of the visitors.'

Steve Meehan, Bath

On life with a billionaire

‘It’s a very positive place. It’s a fun place to be. The guys have worked hard, but since the first day back you could sense an optimism about the place.’

On the law change

‘Get the laws right and you give the players a chance to play.’

On Olly Barkley for England

‘It depends on your philosophy...’ (spoken with a very diplomatic smile)

Neil Back, Leeds

On recruitment

‘Our goal last year was consolidation in the Premiership. But recruitment is a key part of that and not knowing until the 11th hour makes that difficult. We’ve now got better players but fewer numbers.’

On finance

‘Step one is achieved. It’s about backing that up. We aspire to compete in the Heineken Cup but that costs money.’

On the pitch

‘We started the season with a 70-metre pitch because that’s what the Rhinos play on. We brought it down to 65m and that’s above average.’

Conor O’Shea, Harlequins

On the club’s ambition

‘I’d like to believe top six is a minimum at this club.’

On Danny Care’s England competition

‘With England at the moment it’s like having Dawson, Healey and Bracken together again (in Care, Ben Youngs and Joe Simpson). The way the laws are being refereed this year, Danny can excel. He’s 23 with 23 caps and he’s only going to get better.’

On World Cup aspirations

‘The World Cup is a realistic goal for anyone at a successful club.’

Kingsley Jones, Sale

On the consequences of last season

‘We all know we underachieved last year. The end result wasn’t good enough, but it’s an opportunity to bring in new faces, new coaches, new ideas. I’ve given up the full reins. It was time to take a step back.’

On losing his players

‘If you look at the team photo from 2008… you just can’t compete with that. That’s the key – having the depth. Everyone talks about just the big names that left that year, but 13 players left.’

Bryan Redpath, Gloucester

On learning lessons

‘Last year taught me a lot. Starting well in the Premiership is huge. We’re definitely in a better place than last year.’

On the new season

‘The game itself is going to be more open so having faith in our abilities is the big thing.

Mike Tindall on club or country

‘I’m still very much motivated to win silverware at club level.’

Tony Hanks, Wasps

On Phil Vickery

‘Vicks is 10kg heavier. He looks strong and is scrummaging well.’

On training

‘It’s not about what you do on Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s about what you do on Saturday or Sunday.’

On his young squad

‘The Wasps Academy is essential for our success. This year’s boys are the strongest I’ve seen and they’ll be very important to us.

On having Flutey back

‘Riki will be considered a 10 and a 12. With him and Dave (Walder) we’ve got something different.’

Richard Cockerill, Leicester

On tweeting

‘They’re all banned from tweeting. The next time (Jordan Crane) does that I’ll break both his ankles – and you can quote me on that.’ (We did).

On competition

‘Twenty-four games last season and it came down to the last three minutes at Twickenham. Saracens were champions then suddenly we were.'

On his squad

‘We don’t have a big enough squad to rotate but if fit and available we’re as good as any team in Europe.’

Alan Tait, Newcastle

On recruitment

‘I’ve made one or two big signings and found one or two local lads and I’m feeling very optimistic. But everybody’s getting bigger, tougher and harder and I don’t want to make predictions.’

On loyalty

‘The days of holding on to rugby players for years and years is gone.’

On the owner

‘Whatever anyone says Dave Thompson is a rugby man and his heart is in the club. He just wants to see a team that goes out and gives everything on the pitch.’

Jim Mallinder, Northampton

On play-off heartbreak

‘If you go that far, you might as well go all the way.’

On lessons

‘We’ll learn from some of the big games we played last season, tactically and mentally. We just did some silly things at silly times.’

On England

‘Our lads can’t be looking too much at international duty and playing for their country. They should look to play for Northampton first.’

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12 August 2010 2:19 PM

Here’s a dangerous thing to write on a rugby union blog, but our beloved sport could learn a thing or two from rugby league.

Yeah, you read that right. Let’s put ancient rivalry aside and accept our northern neighbours might also know a thing or two about egg-shaped balls. I come bearing gifts while sheepishly waving a white flag.

(Just for the record, scrum’s the word does not endorse the geographical generalisation that those from the north play league, and those from the south stick with union, even though those from the north play league, and those from the south stick with union).

Union has long since borrowed, adapted and bastardised defensive strategies from league – in fact most top-flight union clubs have former league players or coaches in charge of this particular discipline – but settling down to watch Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final between Leeds and Saint Helens (I went to confession the following morning to cleanse my union soul), it was the attacking play that was scintillating.

Even compared to the morning’s Tri-Nations affair, there was a complexity and intelligence to the attacking strategies that would surely be lethal against modern union defences. No doubt Shaun Edwards was watching, but there seemed a much more developed methodology in attack than seen in last season’s Premiership, where line breaks were inspired by individual moments of flair and brilliance rather than any structured expertise, if and when line breaks occurred at all.

Having begrudgingly mulled over the superiority witnessed on the weekend, I can begrudgingly sum them up as follows:

Working the gain line

It’s all in the timing – we’re not talking simply fixing the defender and shifting the ball into space (elementary stuff) but timing the crux of the move to take place on the gain line itself. The Wallabies are probably the closest union side to doing something similar – watch any of their Tri-Nations matches this year and you’ll see them pass a flat ball into space not to a player, anticipating their team-mate will hit the hole on the advantage line instead of waiting for the ball. It’s a subtle difference but in terms of exploiting the momentum of a move, it is priceless. Like walking up to a dart board and putting your arrow on the bull, rather than trying to do so from the oche.

Offloads

The quality of handling the ball in the tackle, and offloading to a nearby support runner, was truly awesome. Keith Senior take a bow. Given the nature of league and the limited number of phases, keeping the ball alive is crucial so it is little wonder this skill is more developed. Having said that, a decent offload is just as effective in union; it penetrates the defensive line like putting a pin in a bubble. In fact, offloading should be more prevalent in union as there are far fewer double tackles in which the second tackler wraps up the upper body to specifically prevent any quick pass.

Support lines of running

Simply sublime. Danny McGuire scored two tries – both thanks to a scintillating running line. Hitting the right support line at pace, that suddenly shifts the angle of the attack, will always be the most devastating attacking technique against a flat line of defence. Such was the speed of the attack, and the change in direction, the defenders had no time to organise into any cohesive unit.

Multiple attacking lines

The most eye-catching distinction. Multiple lines of attack are now common place in league. When the first line approaches a defensive wall, they fling it behind to the second line of attack. Union referees might be harsher on blocking and offsides but, done correctly, it causes immense confusion and hesitation in a rush defence. Three lines of attack is three times harder to defend against.